Russian Red Cross employees may have abused Ukrainian POWs

Radio Liberty reported the information, citing Medusa.

According to a report by Medusa, as part of the international investigative project Kremlin Leaks, instances of mistreatment were highlighted, including the case of Orest Hrytsiuk, a Ukrainian POW held in a colony in Horlivka, Donetsk region, from October 2022 to April 2023.

Hrytsiuk recounted encounters with individuals purportedly representing the Red Cross during meal times, where derogatory remarks were made about Ukrainian prisoners. 

"They give you very little time to eat, and I hated myself for the way I ate... We were forced to eat very quickly, and very hot food. Everything was flying in all directions. And these two men in civilian clothes were walking between the tables, and one of them said: "Oh, how well they eat, like pigs, Ukrainian pigs. Well, eat, eat, Russia loves and cares about you."

He also described forced participation in singing Soviet military songs. 

"The man who called us pigs in the dining room took out his phone, filmed the marching prisoners of war, came up to them, shouted something in their ear and shook his fist above their heads, slapped them on the back and shoulders so that they swayed. He would direct the camera at himself and demonstrate a gesture of victory, just enjoying himself, it was a performance for him... These two had complete carte blanche to walk around the dining room, stay on the parade ground, order songs... they felt comfortable there, high," the former prisoner of war said.

Despite Hrytsiuk's testimony, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has refuted claims of their involvement, asserting that individuals identified as Red Cross representatives were not affiliated with them.

The ICRC representative in Ukraine, Achille Després, said that the ICRC has never said that the colony with Ukrainian prisoners was visited by employees of the Russian Red Cross. When asked who else could have come to the colony, introduced themselves as the Red Cross, spoken Russian and insulted Ukrainian prisoners of war, Després said he "does not know who these people are" and that he "has no reason to believe that the Russian Red Cross was involved."

Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, noted that UNICEF had ceased funding such programs. The ICRC reiterated its stance, emphasizing the absence of Russian Red Cross personnel in Ukrainian territories. Meanwhile, the authors of the investigation point out that the Russian Red Cross "prefers to keep silent about its work in the occupied Ukrainian territories - and perhaps even uses proxy organizations for this purpose." However, they also operate under the Red Cross brand, being called "Donetsk Red Cross" or "regional public organization ‘Red Cross Society in Luhansk People's Republic.’”

Ariane Bauer, representing the ICRC, affirmed ongoing discussions with Russian authorities regarding humanitarian efforts. Despite concerns about pro-Kremlin groups overshadowing ICRC's presence, Mirjana Spoljaric, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross, expressed confidence in maintaining their humanitarian mission.

The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, comprising the ICRC and national societies worldwide, aims to provide aid in conflict zones. While the Russian Red Cross receives funding from the ICRC, it also relies on support from the Russian government, raising questions about its impartiality amid the war in Ukraine.